Is MMA the pro sport with the worst strength and conditioning routines of fighters? I mean compared to NFL, NBA, Boxing, it seems like MMA fighters train with coaches who pulled their routines from the pages of Men's Health. I remember watching Rich Franklin's conditioning routine from WAY back with that grizzled ex marine guy, and it was absolutely ridiculous. A million reps of machine exercises done in a circuit. I mean what purpose can this serve him in a fight? how about addressing the different energy systems? how about periodization? Thank Vishnu, Rich managed to hook up with Joel Jamieson and got set up with a real routine.

However, the exercises all the Brazilian camps are doing makes Rich's routine about as scientific and structured as Ivan Drago's from Rocky 3.

I saw Paul Harris doing cleans (or was it high pulls) with terrible form for high reps, and a bench pressing/ leg pressing while Vitor Belfort's lucky he's been all sorts of TRT otherwise his shoulders would have fallen off already, and let's not forget BJ Penn's underwater rock lifting exercise.

The only pros that I have seen that seemed to display a modicum of technique in their lifts, and scientific basis behind their S&C routines have been GSP and Frankie Edgar.

I don't get how professional athletes who spend bundles of cash on skill based trainers always slack off on their S&C team or hire guys who have no idea what they're doing.

It seems that a lot of pros succeed in spite of their training, not because of it.

I think it's all relative.. MMA fighters have a rare task as they have to try to find the perfect balance of cardio, strength, and being able to make weight.. Whereas the NFL certain positions are geared for strength / power, but still are all typically short term explosive bursts.. Plus they don't have to make weight. NBA players like kevin Durant can be lanky as hell, and still extremely effective. Most positions don't require much strength, they all just need good conditioning.

MbA7601 - I think it's all relative.. MMA fighters have a rare task as they have to try to find the perfect balance of cardio, strength, and being able to make weight.. Whereas the NFL certain positions are geared for strength / power, but still are all typically short term explosive bursts.. Plus they don't have to make weight. NBA players like kevin Durant can be lanky as hell, and still extremely effective. Most positions don't require much strength, they all just need good conditioning.

Exactly. It is 2 different skills. MMA fighters and boxers are more like basketball players, they value endurance (or at least should) over intense explosions. The NFL is geared more towards 90 second high energy explosions followed by a few minutes of rest.

i just wonder why boxers can routinely fight 12 rounds and appear to have gas left

while top MMA contenders cant even make it 1, 5min round without breaking down

plenty of fighters gas out bad even in standup wars, so you cant really say its because mma has wrestling and clinch etc..

IMO a lot of mma fighters are very lazy and are nowhere near an elite professional athlete, even if they are top 10-20 in the ufc.

Because good footwork can help you "cheat" in boxing. A good boxer can go on about 60% effort and with good footwork avoid getting hit and even land enough punches to win the round, if he's really tired he can clinch and get a quick rest. If you clinch in MMA you have to keep your butt low (which is murder on the quads) while fighting off the takedown. The only real place to cheat and get a rest is in full guard and that only works if the other guys is tired as well.

i just wonder why boxers can routinely fight 12 rounds and appear to have gas left

while top MMA contenders cant even make it 1, 5min round without breaking down

plenty of fighters gas out bad even in standup wars, so you cant really say its because mma has wrestling and clinch etc..

IMO a lot of mma fighters are very lazy and are nowhere near an elite professional athlete, even if they are top 10-20 in the ufc.

Because good footwork can help you "cheat" in boxing. A good boxer can go on about 60% effort and with good footwork avoid getting hit and even land enough punches to win the round, if he's really tired he can clinch and get a quick rest. If you clinch in MMA you have to keep your butt low (which is murder on the quads) while fighting off the takedown. The only real place to cheat and get a rest is in full guard and that only works if the other guys is tired as well.

nick diaz has no footwork and could probably go 8 rounds in mma

whats the difference between him and all these guys that keep gassing?

i think its because he actually takes cardio serious and understands conditioning is more than just running 2 miles a day and training hard

hendricks was talking about how he wanted to beat GSP so bad that he ran 4 miles every morning

LOL @ that. nick diaz will spar 15 rounds then go run 5miles

freddie roach has manny pac run 8 miles slightly up hill on non sparring days during camp

there are a few mma guys that have legit cardio but not many

cain V has it figured out and what does everyone say about him? he has insane work ethic and outworks the little guys in the gym

when you train something long and hard enough, you get more conditioned at it, which is why its clear in MMA who trains right and who doesnt

goes back to what i said, lots of mma fighters are lazy and plenty gas out in standup fights with zero grappling or clinch involved

In MMA Nick is a singular talent when it comes to conditioning. James Toney would most likely be able to go 10 rounds but put him in the Octagon and he would probably gas before the end of the second round. If you have never grappled, it is almost impossible to explain how draining it is. Yes, there are definitely a lot guys in the UFC who could work harder on their conditioning but I highly doubt that even an elite fighter like Paq with all of his conditioning would be "just fine" after going 5 rounds against a wrestler like Guida. You just can't compare the two when it comes to the amount of fatigue they cause.

i pee blood - Is MMA the pro sport with the worst strength and conditioning routines of fighters? I mean compared to NFL, NBA, Boxing, it seems like MMA fighters train with coaches who pulled their routines from the pages of Men's Health. I remember watching Rich Franklin's conditioning routine from WAY back with that grizzled ex marine guy, and it was absolutely ridiculous. A million reps of machine exercises done in a circuit. I mean what purpose can this serve him in a fight? how about addressing the different energy systems? how about periodization? Thank Vishnu, Rich managed to hook up with Joel Jamieson and got set up with a real routine.

However, the exercises all the Brazilian camps are doing makes Rich's routine about as scientific and structured as Ivan Drago's from Rocky 3.

I saw Paul Harris doing cleans (or was it high pulls) with terrible form for high reps, and a bench pressing/ leg pressing while Vitor Belfort's lucky he's been all sorts of TRT otherwise his shoulders would have fallen off already, and let's not forget BJ Penn's underwater rock lifting exercise.

The only pros that I have seen that seemed to display a modicum of technique in their lifts, and scientific basis behind their S&C routines have been GSP and Frankie Edgar.

I don't get how professional athletes who spend bundles of cash on skill based trainers always slack off on their S&C team or hire guys who have no idea what they're doing.

It seems that a lot of pros succeed in spite of their training, not because of it.

TL:DR, MMA fighters have terrible strength and conditioning programs

I think OP has a point! I am in my final year of a sports science degree and whilst I do not claim to knw everything it does appear that most so called "strength and conditioning" guys appear to focus mainly on the anaerobic system when it comes to MMA....and seem to totally ignore the aerobic system! Both go hand in hand...however u need a foundation after the anaerobic system drops off (as it always will) and if you haven't got it your done! I also think that there's a lot to be said for crossfit style coaches training athletes whilst not having a clue what they are doing.

just like i wouldnt expect ray lewis to last 12 rounds of boxing or 5 rounds of mma

you get better conditioned to grapple/wrestle by training it hard AND intense roadwork

i dont expect a boxer to last 2 rounds in MMA, but if he had a full MMA camp that included wrestling and on top of that he kept up with his roadwork and conditioning routing, he would be able to last.

pacman cant go 12 rounds in boxing only because he spars a lot. that comes from running 8 miles uphill, round after round after round of sparring and also his various other conditioning workouts

sean mccorkle made it all the way to a co main with GSP by beating a bunch of local fat guys, and its clear he didnt give 1 shit about training or fighting

plenty of UFC guys are just like him but work a little harder and care a little more

i guarantee once MMA guys start putting in real roadwork on top of their wrestling/bjj/sparring, you will notice a difference

hate to deflect OPs thread, so back to what he said...their routines are shit and they do dumb things like bj penn and his underwater rock trash. BJ is notorious for gassing and wastes time doing that dumb stuff

had he been running 7-8miles a day on top of all that he would be fine

boxers are just a different type of animal overall. sorry

What BJ is doing underwater isn't stupid, it just isn't for MMA. When you surf in places with long sets and/or rough breaks, you have to work on being able to hold your breath for extended periods of time. Sure you could just hold your breath in a bathtub or swimming pool, but where's the fun in that?

just like i wouldnt expect ray lewis to last 12 rounds of boxing or 5 rounds of mma

you get better conditioned to grapple/wrestle by training it hard AND intense roadwork

i dont expect a boxer to last 2 rounds in MMA, but if he had a full MMA camp that included wrestling and on top of that he kept up with his roadwork and conditioning routing, he would be able to last.

pacman cant go 12 rounds in boxing only because he spars a lot. that comes from running 8 miles uphill, round after round after round of sparring and also his various other conditioning workouts

sean mccorkle made it all the way to a co main with GSP by beating a bunch of local fat guys, and its clear he didnt give 1 shit about training or fighting

plenty of UFC guys are just like him but work a little harder and care a little more

i guarantee once MMA guys start putting in real roadwork on top of their wrestling/bjj/sparring, you will notice a difference

hate to deflect OPs thread, so back to what he said...their routines are shit and they do dumb things like bj penn and his underwater rock trash. BJ is notorious for gassing and wastes time doing that dumb stuff

had he been running 7-8miles a day on top of all that he would be fine

boxers are just a different type of animal overall. sorry

I'm sorry but you are dead wrong. I have boxed in the past and then got into grappling and when i sparred one round of mma it shattered me more than 8 rounds of boxing would. I seen pro boxers dabble in mma and their conditioning just could not live up to the mma style.

And when you train consistently daily for punching then you WILL have the conditioning to punch fo many rounds while mma fighters do NOT train punching EVERYDAY they have to train everything so if they ever do get into a stand up war then they will gas quicker than a boxer who has a whole training based around punching. And also when you are throwing knockout blows they will most definetley gas you out way quicker. And boxing you are trained NOT to throw power punches constantly but set it up

MMA fighters conditioning is on a whole other level compared to boxers.

People place far too much emphasis on the bro science of conditioning. The body is a pretty dumb thing on a macro level. All of the champs have varying methods of conditioning and yet they are STILL badass. BJ Penn a few years ago is a perfect example. The S&C bro science is largely just that... BULLSHIT.

This is coming from someone who lifts 5 days a week for 10+ years. The body reacts to hard stimulus. Some bros presumptions he wrote down in a manual barely mean shit. The only thing is people should be wary of their form so they don't get injured.

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